1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to long-sleeve garments with pocketed sleeves, specifically for use for warming and protecting an individual's hands or storing items.
2. Description of Prior Art
A common problem with known type long-sleeved garments is that, while such garments protect the upper torso and arms of the wearer, the hands are exposed to the elements. One inventor has attempted to address this problem for participants in sports and other outdoor activities. H. G. Outlaw, U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,468. The Outlaw patent permits individuals to warm their hands by placing them in small exterior pockets located just below the arm pits. This structure is arranged to allow individuals who need to have their hands uncovered by gloves or such to intermittently warm their hands. It is designed to maximize the use of body heat and afford protection from being tom by being caught by external objects.
It is common practice, particularly among women and children, whose hands are exposed to the cold to insert their ungloved hands into the opposite sleeves of long-sleeved garments. This practice also allows individuals who are not wearing gloves or such to intermittently warm their hands. External destruction is often not a concern. Insertion of the hands in opposite sleeves is comfortable and convenient, though the practice over time will result in excessive stretching of the sleeve cuffs.
The Outlaw patent does not accommodate this common practice of inserting ungloved hands into the opposite sleeve. Instead, it requires individuals to place their hands just below the armpits, an area of the body that it is often sweaty and odorous, particularly if the individual is engaged in an outdoor sport. Also, to fully insert both hands simultaneously into the pockets on each side of the individual's upper torso is often difficult and uncomfortable, especially for women that may have a large bust.
Furthermore, the Outlaw patent does not warm or protect an individual's hands when he or she is using them. When an individual is warming and protecting his or her hands, it is convenient to have the option of using his or her hands while still keeping them warm and protected. The Outlaw patent is specific in having an individual's hands unencumbered, by such devices as gloves and the like, when participating in an activity.
It is also common practice for people who wear long sleeve garments to store tissues, napkins, handkerchiefs or other loose items in their sleeves. Two inventors have addressed putting a concealed pouch in the sleeve of a garment for the purpose of retaining and concealing small personal valuables. J. Livingstone, U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,200 titled, "Garment Having Concealed Pouch," and M. E. West, U.S. Pat. No. 2,134,425 titled, "Sleeve Pocket Structure." The Livingstone patent only allows for the pockets to be located in the cuff of the sleeve located along the stitching line, as opposed to elsewhere on the sleeve. The West patent allows for a pocket on the sleeve but only where the entrance of the pocket is located along the seam of the sleeve panel, as opposed to on the sleeve panel itself. Neither the Livingstone patent nor the West patent accommodate the use of the pockets for warming of hands.
Other inventors have created several types of alternative pockets suitable for transporting loose items. These patents include R. R. Tonkens, U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,091 titled, "Garment Tissue Dispenser and Method," R. T. French, U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,545 titled, "Pouch for Holding and Dispensing Facial Tissues," and R. D. Woodson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,791 titled, "Sock Having Knitted Carry-All Compartment and Method of Making Thereof." However, these inventions as well as the Outlaw garment, do not accommodate the practice of storing loose items in sleeves.
Overall, none of the prior art patents listed above offer the new and novel features of the subject invention.